Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: AB3332 Project Name Region Sector Project ID Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Environment Category Date PID Prepared Estimated Date of Appraisal Authorization Estimated Date of Board Approval Community-Driven Development Project AFRICA General education sector (30%); General agriculture, fishing and forestry sector (30%); Other social services (25%); Water supply (15%) P090712 GUINEA BISSAU Ministry of Economy and Regional Integration [ ] A [X] B [ ] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined) September 21, 2007 July 12, 2008 September 15, 2008 1. Key development issues and rationale for Bank involvement Poverty is widespread in Guinea-Bissau, but even higher in rural areas. Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world, with two out of every three people living below the poverty line (US$2/day), and one out of every five living in extreme poverty. It is estimated that rural areas – essentially all of the country outside of the capital city of Bissau - are home to some 80 percent of the 764,672 people estimated to be living below the poverty line. Of the key drivers of poverty highlighted in the 2007 Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), such as the 1998 conflict and ongoing political instability,1 many are specific to the rural areas, including: (i) a vacuum of local government, and subsequent lack of social services and basic infrastructure outside of Bissau and (ii) a lack of growth in (and diversity from) key economic sectors (e.g., agriculture, livestock and fishing) that support a majority of the population. More specifically, after independence the presence of local Government in rural areas was essentially limited to local committees established to expand and support the political party. This committee system was abolished with the introduction of a multi-party system of governance in 1994, leaving the Government with few resources, little presence, and weak legitimacy at the local level. In some parts of the country, non-governmental organizations have filled the vacuum by assuming the functions of service delivery. There is limited delivery of social services and basic infrastructure throughout much of the country, as highlighted by the following: (i) the net school enrollment rate is 53.5 percent for boys and 36.3 percent for girls; (ii) the adult illiteracy rate is 63.3 percent; (iii) only 38 percent of children suffering from simple malaria and 29 percent with cases of serious malaria are treated properly; (iv) infant mortality is 122 per 1,000; and (v) 95 percent of people in the country journey an average of 30 minutes for 1 According to the 2006/2007 World Bank Integrated Poverty and Social Assessment, GDP per capita would be an estimated 42 to 43 percent higher today if the 1998-1999 war had not occurred, and an estimated one in three persons in poverty today might not be if the conflict had not taken place. access to drinking water. Outside of Bissau, agriculture is the engine of the country’s economy and the source of 42 percent of the revenue of the poorest quintile of the population. There are currently few economic opportunities for the rural population outside of the agriculture sector, or even outside of planting and processing cashews (this crop alone provides work for 82 percent of the rural workforce). The result is a growing ‘rural exodus’ to Bissau and to other countries. On average the poverty rate in Bissau is at 51.6 percent. In addition, the disparity between the capital and the rest of the country is growing, particularly in terms of access to social services and infrastructure, as well as economic opportunities. Though the data are not yet conclusive, it seems that Bissau has been characterized by an influx of unemployed youth, a reduction in employment opportunities and a decline in average income over the last few years. Meanwhile, the availability of labor in rural areas seems to be decreasing. Guinea-Bissau has just completed a PRSP, with strategies to address rural poverty and emigration. The four pillars of the PRSP are: (i) modernizing the public administration, strengthening governance and ensuring macroeconomic stability; (ii) fostering economic growth and job creation; (iii) increasing access to social services and basic infrastructure; and (iv) improving the living conditions of vulnerable groups2. The Government is committed to a CDD approach. The Government’s commitment to this approach is evidenced by the existence of a Social Action Fund 3 in conjunction with a savings and lending program, as well as specifications in the PRSP for an Economic Promotion Fund. Building on these initiatives, the Government hosted a workshop among stakeholders on July 16, 2007 to consider possibilities for a proposed CDD project. The results are summarized in Annex I, and the concept agreed upon by the participants was endorsed by the Minister of Economy, as recorded in the Aide Memoire of the July Identification Mission of the World Bank. The proposed project builds upon previous World Bank-financed CDD activities in GuineaBissau. The proposed project will build upon an initiative already piloted by the Government, with the support of the World Bank, in the Coastal and Biodiversity Management Project (CBMP). This project includes a CDD-component that targets communities living in and around five parks and protected areas. To date, the project has completed a detailed CDD implementation manual and a pilot phase, which resulted in the implementation of seven successful micro-projects benefiting some 16 to 18 communities and over 8,000 people. The results from the CBMP revealed a strong and well-articulated demand in many rural areas for social service delivery and basic infrastructure through a CDD approach, and significant capacity among communities and traditional institutions to take charge of their own development agenda. This pilot phase of the CBMP is now being replicated throughout the project sites, contributing directly to the concept and design of the proposed project. 2 Vulnerable groups are defined by the PRSP as people who have no means to solve their daily basic needs due to lack of income or resources, or people who are confronted with specific situations that endanger their lives and/or physical integrity. These groups are identified not just by their limited resources for subsistence, but also by the geographical areas in which they reside, because most of them live in rural areas and outlying urban areas. 3 Preliminary review of the social funds suggests this may not be an appropriate vehicle for the CDD project, but this requires further investigation. Other donors and local NGOs support a CDD approach in Guinea-Bissau, and the World Bank is providing financing to implement it. In addition to the CBMP, the United Nations Development Program will invest some US$3 million in two of the eight administrative regions outside of Bissau to deliver social services and basic infrastructure through a CDD approach, and many local NGOs throughout the country have been supporting CDD approaches. There is a growing convergence among major donors and local NGOs as to the desirability of a nation-wide CDD approach. To date, what has been lacking is a significant injection of financial resources to implement the results of participatory planning in rural communities throughout the country. 2. Proposed objective(s) The proposed project development objective is to finance a hundred small socio-economic projects identified and implemented by rural communities in three regions of Guinea-Bissau through a transparent and participatory approach. To achieve this objective the project would seek to: finance community-identified priority investments, such as basic social and small economic infrastructures; build the capacity of communities (and involve local institutions) to effectively identify, plan and implement their development priorities; and, build project management capacity in order to coordinate, plan, monitor, program and supervise a wide range of community driven activities. 3. Preliminary description Due to a small IDA allocation of US$ 5 million, which will eventually be complemented by a PHRD technical assistance-cofinancing grant, it is proposed that the project will intervene primarily in rural areas in three regions (out of eight) with the highest percentage of people living with less than two dollars per day: Oio, Bafata and Quinara/Tombali. The project is proposed as a multi-sector investment loan. Taking into account lessons learned in other World Bank CDD investments in the region (such as Senegal), this project is proposed as the first phase of a longterm and multi-phased commitment that will be necessary in order to sustain the impact of project activities and to build the capacity of local Government and institutions. The project will be based on the following key design principles: (i) it will address the priority concerns of rural communities by helping them to select among identified small socio-economic projects, ensuring that the communities play an effective role in local development activities, and providing funding directly to them from a national Special Account; (ii) it will work through local institutions and stakeholders such as NGOs, CBOs and local committees4 which will be responsible to disseminate information, thus creating awareness and interest about the project among rural communities; (iii) it will seek to strengthen the capacities of local institutions (i.e., local representatives of central Government, line Ministries and local/traditional-governing committees) to work along side rural communities in providing technical support, quality assurance and monitoring and evaluation of project-financed activities; (iv) it will establish 4 Local committees include institutions as Tabancas, Regulados and Committee of Section (Seccao) institutional arrangements to oversee project activities that take into account the multi-sector nature of the project; (v) it will seek close collaboration with other initiatives targeting rural communities and supporting CDD approaches in order to reduce duplication, to learn about best practices and increase impact; and (vi) it will use impact monitoring and poverty level mapping/measuring as essential features of its implementation. The project would include three components: 1. Financing of community development priorities. This component will support an investment fund for a wide range of projects, including: (i) small community infrastructure (e.g., wells, latrines, rural roads, etc); (ii) economic infrastructure to support productive investments (e.g., livestock development, fish processing, or palm oil production, dikes to support community-wide agriculture, adding value to farm produce and trading); (iii) community-based health activities (e.g., distributing impregnated bed-nets and training community volunteers to combat malaria, distributing modern contraceptives and condoms, funding for patient referral to the first level health care facility – particularly for high risk pregnancies, organizing a nutrition surveillance system); (iv) pre- and primary education (construction of one, two-classroom schools, provision of learning material); and (v) investments to assist CBOs to develop income generating activities (which might include training and information on markets and facilitating links to the private sector) as well as supplemental financing of activities that focus on sustainable farming systems. Activities will be identified and selected directly by communities, using guidelines and criteria designed to ensure sustainability overtime and maximize impact on the beneficiary-community. In relevant cases, the project will seek community co-financing both in the initial investment phase (e.g., in-kind participation to construction costs) and in the running of new basic social investment (e.g., payment of community teacher and health personnel). While the menu of investments that communities can select is open, it will be refined further during project preparation, particularly in consideration of the sustainability of projects and recurrent costs. 2. Capacity building of communities and involvement of local institutions. This component will strengthen the capacity of communities, so that, they will become the key actors of their own development and be able to identify, plan and manage projects in a transparent and participatory manner. The capacity building of communities will be conducted by intermediaries, such as existing NGOs, CBOs and/or facilitators, recruited through a competitive process and then trained to work with the communities in rural areas. Intermediaries’ mandate will be to train, support and work directly with communities until they are able to successfully apply to the investment fund for community-driven projects. Intermediaries will continue their support during the implementation and monitoring and evaluation phases. It is also expected that the project will support the involvement of local institutions in community-led development activities, financing capacity building activities, such as training, workshops and technical assistance. 3. Strengthening capacity for project management. This component will comprise two subcomponents: (a) Project coordination. The coordination mechanism will include two levels of interventions. First, at the central level, the project will be under the overall supervision of an inter-departmental steering committee, including civil society and donor representatives under the leadership of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Integration. This steering committee will be responsible for adopting work plans and budgets as well as reviewing annual progress report, audit reports and project specific supervision report. Second, the project will finance the establishment of small project coordination unit (PCU) located in the Bissau. This PCU will be staffed with essential contractual staff and will be responsible for project fiduciary management, operational and strategic management and overall monitoring and evaluation of project activities. (b) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). The project will also support the development and implementation of a M&E system. Project M&E responsibilities will be shared between the PCU and the small project offices in the regions. In addition, the project will support periodic impact assessments, beneficiary assessments and poverty measuring. Finally, the World Bank and Government will organize bi-annual supervision missions with the participation of interested donors. 4. Safeguard policies that might apply The proposed regional project would likely be considered a category B with regard to potential environmental and social impacts. However, as these impacts cannot be clearly defined at this stage, the proposed project would be recommended to proceed with a broad environmental and social assessment and then the development of an environmental and social management framework (per standard CDD models). Applicable Safeguard Policies Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01) Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04) Forests (OP/BP 4.36) Pest Management (OP 4.09) Cultural Property (OPN 11.03) Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.12) Involuntary Resettlement (O/BP 4.12) Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) Projects on International Waterways (OP/BP 7.50) Projects in Disputed Areas (OP/BP 7.60) Yes No X X X X X X X X X X 5. Tentative financing Source: BORROWER/RECIPIENT International Development Association (IDA) ($m.) Total 6. Contact point Contact: Michael Drabble Title: Senior Education Specialist Tel: (202) 458-1134 Fax: (202) 473-8216 Email: [email protected] TBD 5 5